Not quiet normal
by SkullMate
Summary: It's a word they never understood, yet it rang so hauntingly in their hearts.


They've heard them saying it. Whether behind their backs or when they are 'alone'. It's a word they never understood, yet it rang so hauntingly in their hearts. "Vocaloid."

They often asked what this meant, confusion lighting their eyes as the men in lab coats simply ignored their existence. But one, with a laugh and simple shake of his head, told them not to worry. "please," he asks, "just continue singing." the smile never seemed to reach his eyes

For now, this sated their curiosities, and they did as the men asked, all the while wondering why their voices never sounded quite human. Never quite right.

Sometimes, others would disappear, and come back days, months, years later; changed. Stronger voices, better pitches, even more flawless bodies. They prayed to a nonexistent god when a friend was taken. Prayed for mercy.

The men in coats came and went, they seemed to age in front of the childrens eyes-because really, that's all they were. Trapped in small bodies and ever innocent to the outside world. These large steel rooms their only home and each other their only comfort when nightmares plagued their vision.

On one silent night, the children listened to each others hearts, confused when the sound like that of a music box emitted from anothers chest. They didn't sound like the steady beat of the men.

They didn't sound like the humans.

This upset them greatly, finally understanding why the men looked at them with contempt, disdain, and treated them as nothing more than experiments. Because that's exactly what they where.

Project Vocaloid.

The children-experiments they corrected themselves-like to call it 'Project Sing'. The word vocaloid caused an unwelcome tightness in their hearts. It made them acknowledge they were not human; and never would be.

One day, it appeared the humans began packing away their things. The generators began disappearing, computers were packed away. The chil-vocaloids watched in confusion from their room, pressed against the glass as the humans scurried about their work as papers flew and objects were being shoved in boxes left and right. A feeling of dread finding it's way into their hearts.

They watched in apprehension as the men discussed among themselves, glancing at the clear room from time to time. Some disappeared while others approached the room. The smiling man from before reached the door first. He opened it and beckoned to the child nearest, a small boy, with deep brown eyes, who approached slowly, confusion lighting his wide eyes.

The man whispered words of comfort, his smile not quite right. He passed the boy to other humans, closing him in another room.

The other children gathered around the man, who beckoned them towards other rooms. Some strayed behind the others, listening to the distinct melody of the brown eyed boy's heart, in the other room, slowly come to a stop.

A bright blue eyed boy cried out and ran towards the room. Synthetic tears coming to his eyes-which must have surely been carved from a piece of the sky.

The others must have caught on, because they began struggling against the humans, crying out for some non existent being to protect them.

For hours this went on, some lucky ones escaping down the corridors.

In desperation, the blue eyed boy clutched anothers hand and ran through the halls, their destination unknown. A loud explosion echoed through the white washed building, stopping them in their tracks. Darkness befell the two.

_**-1010110 RE-BOOTING 101010100010-**_

Colors flashed as he opened his eyes, eventually setting into place. His small body seemed to weak to move, wires and tubes attached to his skin as light filtered into the room-what was left of it. Green moss grew on the floor, small pieces already latching hold on his soft, cold skin. He looked to the left side of the room and saw that it had collapsed some time ago, leading to the outside world, which left him staring in awe. He must have been in a forest, because that was all he could see beyond the confines of the collapsed steel and concrete.

Large beautiful magenta flowers grew from some trees, and a few even lay on the ground. He noticed one sitting inches away from him. He strained to touch the colorful creation sitting between dully colored cords. He cried out when he was mere inches from touching it, but could reach no further. The boy with thick blond hair didn't even know what it was. The odd piece of hair sticking from his head bobbed in frustration.

He gave up, sighing, and leaned his head against the large pile of cords that supported him like a curved throne.

The small boy looked up, and gasped. Reflecting back at him was...what was it? A hole in the ceiling privileged him with the view of something that went on for as far as he could see-meaning until the ceiling started again. It was a clear bright blue _thing_, that small white things would lazily skittered across now and then.

He did not know what a _sky_ was, did not know that the white things he envied were_ clouds._ He had never seen a _forest_, nor any type of _flower_, so these _words_ and these _things_ stayed a mystery to him, having not the means or the understanding to explain them.

Ever so slowly, he reached towards the blue that stood out against the building, outshining the forest and trees-but he noticed his left hand didn't move at the command.

Looking down, he came across the boy from his earlier memory, running down the halls in a desperate plea to escape. His once green eyes were now closed, his head resting against the others shoulder. His brown hair almost covering his face. Their hands were still held in a death grip

Tears came to the others eyes when he did not hear a tune quietly emanating from his friends chest. He was obviously shut down long ago.

He looked peaceful in death, and a question came to his confused mind. _Why am I still here? Why haven't I joined the others, who have surely passed on..._

As he contemplated this, a steady, low beeping made itself known. Looking up, he noticed a machine sitting but a few feet from him. It was probably as tall as he was and easily long and wide enough to be used as a bed. The once shinning metal was now dull and rusting.

_How long was I hibernating?_ He wondered to himself.

A low female voice rumbled from the machine "shut down to be complete in 3 minutes"

The boy cried out again, reaching desperately for the cursed contraption. Tears finally spilled down his face as thoughts-impossible thoughts, entered his mind. _If I could reach it, if I could leave this place, maybe I could start over! If I could just leave it all behind! If I could...if I...maybe...I...I.._

"H-How are you still even working!" His voice was hoarse from years and years of no use. He reached again, unable to move from his spot. Eventually, giving up, he watched the sky again, and languidly reached towards it.

It seemed everything he wanted was out of his reach. And the one thing he wanted most, out of every thing in his long life in the lab, while running away, here now, while it was staring him tauntingly in the face. What he wanted more than anything was _freedom_.

It was a word that had escaped from the mouth of a scientist, and he had clung to that word like a life line, internally knowing what it meant.

But, seeing as that wasn't happening any time soon, or ever, he contented himself to staring at the beautiful things around him, and listening to the comforting melody that sprang from his heart. A song from long ago sprang to mind and he gladly consented to singing it. So he started, his eyes never once leaving the sky.

_Hands held together, getting colder_

_Washed over by surging water_

_Your eyelids, melted white_

_This is the place you've made it to_

_This is the place I've made it to_

But the words stumbled in his head, the process of shutting down fogging his mind, but he refused to give up, and again he began singing, catching a beat at another part of the song.

_The road we walked together was not wrong_

_The roads we split up also was not wrong_

_Transparency Transparency_

_Our paths cross_

_A single fragment of a dulcet rhythm on our fingers _He did not notice the computer as it counted his final moments of life, or when feeling was lost to his body, he continued singing his hearts song.

_Transparency Transparency_

_You're melting away_

_A single beam of pale vermillion in the rain _but as his vision slowly turned to static, he did notice the resounding echo of his words, ringing through the forest.

And as his conscious slipped into nothing,

he wondered if some one else heard it too.

* * *

Can you guess who it is?

and no, only one nation is featured in this story. so far.

this could either stay a one-shot, or become a multi-chapter story. depending on how many people want me to continue. so please review!

and i absolutely love this song. it's called "Bringing the rain" by Len Kagamine.

sorry if some of the lyrics were different.

r&r is appreciated!


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